After a series of so-so qualifying runs the first four weeks of the season, Juan Pablo Montoya found something at Fontana, earning the pole for his 150th career NASCAR race.
So what changed? Don’t ask him.
“I don’t know, to tell you the truth,” Montoya said after hitting 184.653 mph on the 2-mile oval at Auto Club Speedway. “There was a lot less grip in qualifying than there was early in practice, so I don’t know.”
Montoya has been decent at Fontana in the past, qualifying fifth or better while leading laps in each of the past four races. Memphis Commercial Appeal
Montoya has two Sprint Cup wins so far to his credit. Both of his victories have come on the series’ road courses—one in 2007 at Sonoma, CA and the other last year at Watkins Glen, NY.
Denny Hamlin qualified 0.08 seconds behind Montoya to earn the outside pole. Hamlin’s start to the season has been somewhat disappointing, as he currently sits 17th in points. He finished second to champion Jimmie Johnson in last year’s championship Chase.
Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Joey Logano, will start third, followed by Regan Smith and Tony Stewart, who won the most recent race at California in October. MiamiHerald.com
Montoya acknowledged the importance of the benefits of winning the pole—the selection of pit stall No. 1 among them—but said that his mid-pack qualifying average hasn’t bothered him this year.
“As long as we have the race pace that we’ve had this year, I don’t mind qualifying in the back,” said Montoya, who is eighth in the Cup standings. “If you have a good car, you can always come back. But this will make pit selection better. There’s a lot of things that are better by qualifying good.
“I think you can look after the car more during the race, and I think that always helps.”
Series points leader Kurt Busch will take the green flag from the 23rd position, with second-place Carl Edwards starting 18th.
“We’re still trying to figure out the balance,” Busch said. “We’re loose one run, tight the next. We’re just struggling with the front-end ride quality. There wasn’t a lot of practice time today, so [Saturday’s] sessions will be a key in trying to get this car dialed in for the race.” NASCAR.com
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